Dakar Rally runner-up spot ‘bittersweet’ pill for Lategan to swallow

A “bittersweet” finish to the Dakar Rally saw Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings record an historic second place in the what is often described as the world’s toughest race on Friday.

After losing their lead on the penultimate day in Saudi Arabia, the Toyota Gazoo Racing South African (TGRSA) pair did manage to make up over two minutes on race leaders Yazeed al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk in Saudi Arabia yesterday. But the 61km 12th and final stage was just too short to reel the leading crew in as Al Rajhi won by 3:47 to make history by becoming the first Saudi Arabian to win the prestigious race on his 11th attempt alongside his German navigator.

Swedish pair Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist (Ford M-Sport Raptor) was third overall, 20:21 off the winning pace.

Docherty finishes on a high note

On two wheels, South African Michael Docherty recorded his second stage win in three days as Australian KTM rider Daniel Sanders romped to his first Dakar Rally win. Docherty finished fifth in Rally2 and 14th overall.

ALSO READ: Dakar Rally title slips out of Lategan’s grasp with finish line in sight

While the top step of the podium might have narrowly eluded Lategan, he is the first South African on the Dakar podium since his TGRSA team-mate Giniel de Villiers in 2018 and the first runner-up since De Villiers in 2015. Lategan and Cummings also became the best-placed all-South African crew ever as 2009 winner De Villiers achieved his best feats with German Dirk von Zitzewitz reading the notes.

The only other South African to finish second in the Dakar Rally was biker Alfie Cox in 2002.

‘Not from a lack of trying’

“To come all this way, do two weeks of racing and thousands of kilometers, late nights, early mornings and miss out by four minutes is a bit bittersweet,” said Lategan, who led the Dakar Rally on eight stages and won the prologue and Stage 8.

“To get onto the podium, our first one, is also a great achievement. It’s amazing what the team has done and managed to do in this race. I’m proud of what we did.

“We did try. It was not from a lack of trying. We’ll keep trying and keep pushing this year to improve the car and improve ourselves. We’ll gain more experience and come back stronger next year.”

ALSO READ: Lategan has Dakar Rally title in his sights after regaining race lead

Mixed Dakar Rally results for Toyota

Lategan, whose previous highest Dakar finish in his first four attempts was fifth in 2023, was full of praise for his GR Hilux T1+. Al Rajhi and Gottschalk piloted a similar South African-built machine in the colours of Overdrive Racing.

The other TGRSA crew to cross the finish line in Shubaytah was Saood Variawa and his French navigator Francois Cazalet. Variawa finished 30th overall with his crowing moment victory on Stage 3.

The two other TGRSA crews who started the Dakar Rally, De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz and Guy Botterill/Denis Murphy, both retired.